The UMBC McNair Scholars Program presents the 4th Annual Hill-Robinson McNair Lecture with Kyla McMullen, who will speak on Customizing the 3D Audio Experience.

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are becoming more commonplace, especially given the proliferation of commodity VR devices. Realistic sound enhances a user’s sense of presence and immersion in VR and AR. Achieving realistic sound in VR or AR, however, presents a challenge because of the way in which our ears are trained to hear sounds in space based on our own anthropometric features. This talk details how realistic audio can be achieved for almost anyone.

Kyla McMullen, associate professor of Computer & Information Sciences & Engineering at the University of Florida, earned her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from UMBC, where she was both a McNair and a Meyerhoff Scholar.  She earned her Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan (2007–2012). Dr. McMullen is the first (and currently the only) woman of color to earn a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan.

The Hill-Robinson McNair Lecture is named in honor of Cynthia M. Hill, former UMBC associate provost and founding McNair director, and Thomas Robinson, assistant professor of Africana Studies and McNair research methods faculty for more than 28 years. Each lecture features an accomplished UMBC McNair alumnus or a UMBC faculty or staff member who is an alum of a McNair program from another university.

Admission is free. Please register in advance for this lecture here. This event is held in conjunction with the 2022 UMBC McNair Research Conference.